2025-04-08 - Channel 5 Belize

Former Hol Chan Director Objects to Cayo Rosario

In just an hour, the community will come together for a public meeting. The hot topic? The proposed development of Cayo Rosario, which plans to introduce overwater structures right within the cherished Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Last week, key environmental agencies gave the green light to the Cayo Rosario project, sparking objections from several tourism-related groups in San Pedro. The project was initially approved in 2018 after meeting various environmental requirements, and its Environmental Compliance Plan was updated in 2020. At their recent meeting, the Department of the Environment and other regulatory agencies assured that the project would be closely monitored to ensure compliance with environmental standards. However, concerned groups argue that the project is already violating environmental laws protecting the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, where Cayo Rosario is located. News Five’s Marion Ali has more on this story.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Welcome to Cayo Rosario, a six-acre island located west of San Pedro Town, about six miles away, and just a couple of miles across the sea from the newly developed Secret Beach. This privately owned island is at the center of a controversial development proposal to build forty rooms over the sea, which involves driving piles into the seabed to support the structures and piers. This interference with the marine environment is what has islanders up in arms. Roberto Canul, chairman of the San Pedro Tour Operators Association, shares their concerns.

Roberto Canul, Chairman, San Pedro Tour Operators Association

“They are building right now a demo building. That means that they are going to show these demo buildings to future buyers. So that means that they’re here to cash in. They’re going to sell these buildings. There’s 40 of them that will go up for sale. And where are they positioned? Where are they being built over the waters. If you need to fill your land, fine, you need to fill your land. But how will you fill your land? Will you fill your land by destroying the ecosystem around it for your benefit? I believe that no. I believe that if you need to develop your land, you need to do it in a way that is not affecting the livelihood of other people, especially the local people in the community.”

Today, we took a boat trip around Cayo Rosario and saw some concerning developments. On the left side of the island, heavy duty equipment was in the sea, with about twenty piles driven into the seabed. Further left, there was a strip of sand bordered by cement blocks. On the right side, a concrete structure was under construction over the sea, about two hundred feet from the island, supported by piles and connected to a pier. This pier in the seabed is what has tour operators and fishermen from nearby San Pedro upset. The former Director of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Miguel Alamilla, is backing their concerns.

Miguel Alamilla, Former Director, Hol Chan Marine Reserve

“I think we need to scrutinize those environmental impact assessments in greater detail. You know, those researchers are maybe not questionable, but they’re not doing in-depth research that would actually give us proper information about those sites, not only onsite biological research, but social research, local knowledge, traditional knowledge that is here. It’s present and it’s valuable. We worked very hard from 2011 and onwards to extend the marine reserve to include all those areas. So it was a lot of hard work and when it was established in 2015, the reserve was extended. We thought, well, it was a big win for us for conservation, and we thought that, okay, everything was nice and beautiful, safe for conservation. But as you can see today, there are some gaps in the legislation, I believe that is allowing this to proceed.”

Minister of Blue Economy and Area Representative for Belize Rural South, Andre Perez, declined our interview request today. Instead, he pointed us to his appearance on Reef Radio and TV this morning. During the show, Perez emphasized that the Cayo Rosario project would require close monitoring and expressed his belief that the island should never have been sold in the first place.

Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize Rural South

“Yes, the issue of Cayo Rosario in the very beginning should have never occurred, but it did. And it changed hands, sold. So a lot of people made money before it got to us, from the previous government back then in the P.U.P. days, if you want to call it, that’s when it was sold for land compensation. And then the next government continued when it could have stopped it and said, listen, if you are going to sell this to another person, you must inform who whoever is buying, you must tell them about the requirements. The not only requirements, but the risk that entails buying an island in terms of being on a marine reserve.”

News Five spoke with a representative from the Cayo Rosario project who wished to remain anonymous. While they declined an interview, they mentioned that Cayo Rosario was purchased before that section was declared part of the marine reserve, which was expanded in 2015. Tonight, concerned tourism groups are holding a public meeting in San Pedro to discuss the project. Marion Ali for News Five.

San Pedro and Clearwater to Form Sister-City Partnership

As San Pedro residents gear up for tonight’s 7 p.m. public meeting on the controversial Cayo Rosario development, Mayor Wally Nunez has just returned from Clearwater, Florida. There, he’s been in talks with officials to establish a sister-city partnership focused on marine conservation. Earlier today, News Five caught up with Clearwater resident and attorney Greg Crist, who shared more details about this exciting collaboration.

Greg Crist, Attorney-at-law

“This was something that my partner, Michael Estephan, came up with. He was actually searching for a sister-city relationship with San Pedro and he reached out to me because of the unique proximity of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium building a facility in Gales Point. And so, the connection between the city of Clearwater and San Pedro had a unique connection through the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Mayor Wally’s visit was really quite historic, in terms of being more than a symbolic gesture. This is truly a step towards an international relationship that’s gonna be rooted in marine conservation, cultural exchange and sustainable ecotourism.”

Isani Cayetano

“What other features of this partnership do we, as Belizeans, look forward to from Clearwater?”

Greg Crist

“Well there’s gonna be significant opportunities in blue economy jobs. Mayor Wally’s project right now is completing phase one which is initiating the sister-city relationship with the city of Clearwater. He came to Clearwater, this is his second visit, by the way, his first visit was a workshop to begin developing regional ties. That’s stakeholders and collaborators within the business realm that would support the relationship, working on cultural exchange educational opportunities, exchanges with business opportunities and some best practices towards coastal conservation, and that’s a very significant element for Mayor Wally right now. With manatees, dolphins and sea turtles and the ecosystems that those critical marine species need to survive. We have a very unique biosystem in San Pedro and it’s important that Clearwater Marine Aquarium and San Pedro develop an international marine center to study this Mesoamerican Reef and more importantly the species that call it home.”

Belize Marine Rescue and Educational Center Soon to be a Reality

In December 2024, construction began on the Belize Marine Rescue and Educational Center in Gales Point Village, located at Southern Lagoon. This center will be open to the public, providing a unique opportunity to see the efforts to protect Belize’s precious marine wildlife up close. Greg Crist, along with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, has played a key role in making this initiative a reality.

Greg Crist, Attorney-at-law

“There has been a groundbreaking facility, that project is a fully funded facility. That hospital will go forward, it will be built and it will be a critical environment for not only manatees but perhaps other species. What we’re talking about in San Pedro is a support component that will work very, very closely in hand. Belize is going to be a world-class center for marine science, and this is what [Mayor] Nunez has been focused on in his visits here at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida.”

Modern Technology to Advance Conservation Efforts

Down in Placencia Village, the conservation group Strong Coasts is hosting some exciting technical training on LiDAR technology and Multispectral Imaging. These high-tech tools provide 3D data on terrain, vegetation, and wavelengths beyond what the naked eye can see. At the same time, Strong Coasts is holding sessions on erosion, a topic that hits close to home for the villagers. On Monday night, the community gathered for a presentation on coastal erosion, based on three days of data collected by visiting experts from the U.S. We caught up with Placencia-based Environmental Engineering Professor Maya Trotz to learn more about these activities.

Maya Trotz, Environmental Engineering Professor

“The lidar and multispectral drone helps, they are trying to push the science to find out what information they can get on the ecosystem. Can they tell whether it is a mangrove or palm, from the data. Can they tell how tall something is. Can they tell the density of the mangrove, the health of the mangroves. It is pushing the boundaries for that type of research can support ground shooting activities that with a smaller staff you don’t really get to trample through those ecosystems to document that. Looking at how some of these tools can complement the work that people are doing. With three days of data I asked that a talk be given. We did that last night with one day’s notice. It was a packed crowd. It was supposed to rain; it stormed yesterday, and people came out. We were supposed to squeeze in to a small part of the Point Placencia Restaurant and Bar, but people are really interested. He gave a presentation that was walking through a 101 on erosion and sharing data collected so far. There is a stretch of beach, because of how the waves are coming in, it erodes faster. That is one of the areas the community is really concerned about. It has a lot of sargassum filling there.”

Filling the Gaps in Belize’s National Biodiversity Plan

Today marks the beginning of consultations by the National Biodiversity Office under the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change. They’re working to update the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, a crucial five-year initiative aimed at preserving Belize’s rich biodiversity and promoting sustainable growth. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the details.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

It’s been almost ten years since Belize introduced the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, a vital tool for managing the country’s natural resources. However, it’s time for an update. Saul Cruz, Director of the National Biodiversity Office, shares how the government intends to implement these necessary changes.

Saul Cruz, Director, National Biodiversity Office

“What we’re looking at here is to really get stakeholder input, stakeholder guidance on the updating of our National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. So our last strategy dated from 2016 to 2020. And also with the updating of the global biodiversity goals countries who are, member states of the convention on biological diversity are provided support to realign those national strategies to ensure that as countries we are also meeting those global targets as well.”

Over the next three days, consultations will bring together stakeholders, including civil society groups and environmental co-managers. Since the plan’s inception, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has been a key partner, supporting the National Biodiversity Office. Ryan Zuniga, UNDP Program Lead, shares more about this important initiative.

Ryan Zuniga, Program Lead, UNDP

“We’re doing consultation or supporting a consultation to revise the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. So from a UN perspective, we’re just ensuring that one, we’re providing resources for this process to take place. But in doing so, ensuring that it’s an inclusive and participatory process that we include all stakeholders vulnerable groups, vulnerable communities women led NGOs and also indigenous people in the process. We also want to ensure that it’s actionable, that it also aligns with our global targets as a UN organization in terms of mainstream and biodiversity conservation in the larger development space and context.”

The plans outline detailed strategies to achieve biodiversity goals across five key areas: mainstreaming, reducing pressures, protection, benefits, and implementation. Cruz noted that the updates won’t introduce major changes but will address gaps identified over the past decade.

Saul Cruz

“One of the things that we would want to see more represented is the inclusivity of our community groups of our indigenous groups, even before we got to this point of national consultation, my office has been very active in trying to engage our community members community organized groups, our indigenous groups and all these other players. And the intention is to have these social groups be represented much more within our biodiversity strategy. Because generally when you hear biodiversity, you would think, birds and trees and, these things. But no, this strategy has to represent benefit to communities because at the end of the day, we are the users.”

Funding is provided by the Global Environmental Facility, which the UNDP uses to support national governments in advancing environmental priorities.

Ryan Zuniga

“It’s on an ongoing basis. I think this project is just under a hundred and seventy five thousand US just for this process alone. But again, there are several different pots of money that we use to support the different aspects of the revision of the NBSAP. We have other things online other things in the pipeline that is to look at the full realization of the program, how it is that we determine the financial feasibility, the financial and economic feasibility of integrating this into the national development priorities.”

The National Biodiversity Office plans to update the strategy every few years to ensure it continues to meet Belize’s evolving biodiversity needs.

Saul Cruz

“So the strategy will obviously be a bit all inclusive and would have some really progressive goals. And so all these things will require financing. And so at the end of the day, for us to achieve those milestones, we need to also have mechanisms to generate some of those funds to ensure that we have those revenues or programs to sustain some of these actions that will be built into the biodiversity plan.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Man Busted with Kilo of Cocaine Out at Sea

On Monday afternoon, the Belize Coast Guard busted a man with a kilo of cocaine out at sea. Acting on a tip, they sent a patrol to the Turneffe area, where they searched an individual and made the discovery. The cocaine was sealed in black and clear plastic, marked with a symbol of a scale of justice with wings, surrounded by stars. We spoke with Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, the Commandant of the Belize Coast Guard, about the find. Here’s what he had to say.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“Yesterday afternoon our patrol operating out at the forward operating base at Calabash Caye received direct intelligence that there was an induvial who had suspected cocaine in his presence. A patrol deployed to that location found the individual and searched his belongings and discovered what appeared to be suspected cocaine. We detained him at that location, and we conducted further searches and brought him into the Belize Police Department who will be prosecuting the case. This is an area of concern for us. We have been receiving information quite often recently that there are increased drug trafficking activities in that area. So, our patrol is very active. We have been receiving information of illicit activities in the area. So our patrols remain very vigilant and we are conducting operations in that area.”

Fishermen Combing Beaches in Search of Illicit Drugs

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett reported a rise in suspicious activities in the Turneffe area, prompting the Belize Coast Guard to stay on high alert. But where did the discovered kilo of cocaine come from? Was it a wet drop or part of a capsized drug boat’s cargo? We asked Bennett about rumors that fishermen are increasingly combing these beaches for illicit drugs.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“Indeed, we have received those reports. We have been activity engaging these individuals. Last week we detained one individual who was aggressive towards another party in the activities of beach combing. So we are aware of that and are doing our best to keep an eye on these individuals and engage them as often as possible.”

Benita Keme-Palacio

“Would you say this has been increasingly normal and hard to combat and control?”

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett

“We have seen an increase in activity in the Turneffe area, both legitimate fishing and otherwise. So it is our operational duty to ensure we board and search and interview where necessary all those individuals we would come across. The fact that we found this kilo of cocaine in that area indicates that yes these reports are true and we continue to concentrate in that area.”

Twenty Years, Five Months for Sex Offender

This morning in the High Court, Justice Nigel Pilgrim sentenced Jeffery Pott, a resident of Corozalito Village, to twenty years and five months in prison after convicting him of three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Pott, who previously lived in Belize City, was found guilty of having sex with a thirteen-year-old girl twice in 2021 and 2022, and again when she was fourteen. Justice Pilgrim explained that he considered both aggravating and mitigating factors in determining the sentence. He referenced Section 47-1-29 of the criminal code, which states that anyone who has sex with someone under sixteen, with or without consent, commits an offense punishable by a minimum of twelve years, up to life imprisonment. For those who have sex with someone between fourteen and sixteen, the punishment ranges from five to ten years. Additionally, Justice Pilgrim took into account the new sentencing guidelines of the Senior Courts of Belize, effective January 2025.

No Resolution yet Between Belmopan Citco and Market Plaza

Last night, we shared the story of the growing tension between the Belmopan City Council and David Zabaneh, the owner of the city’s Market Plaza. Recently, Zabaneh received a cease-and-desist order from the council, stating that the trade license agreement he signed with the previous administration is no longer valid. Since 2021, Zabaneh has been paying for a blanket trade license that covers all vendors in the plaza. However, Mayor Pablo Cawich argues that this agreement contradicts Belize’s Trade License Act. Despite this, Zabaneh insists that the agreement should be honored for the sake of the vendors. Mayor Cawich also explained why the council hasn’t yet approached the vendors to enforce the new regulation.

Pablo Cawich, Mayor of Belmopan

“It was an issue for us at least. It was more of an issue with the MOU, having the blanket coverage. That was as, as I mentioned, this was the specific issue that was brought to the council. And then the council ended up taking it over after it was brought to our attention. So it wasn’t a case that that we were aware of something in, I will say, inappropriate, for lack of a better word. We were not aware that something inappropriate was happening. But since the specific trade license blanket coverage was brought up to us as an issue, that was the specific case we were looking at. And that could have only been looked at with the proprietors of the Belmopan Market Plaza.”

Reporter

“If it is that the act says the individual must pay trade license, and trade license is paid to the council, how is it that the council does not act on that authority to enforce that and have them individually pay? I don’t know why you’re pursuing the whole MOU aspect.”

Pablo Cawich

“Because if we were to approach any vendor, the first thing based on logic is that they would say, we are already paying the Belmopan Market Plaza. If we were to ask what portion of that goes to what, I am pretty sure they would not know. And when it comes to an MOU, it’s pretty much a contract. So if a contract exists in an area, we obviously would tend to try and tackle or address that contract first before we can approach anything else. We would have to work with the entity who is perceived as the legal person to have the authority.”

Reporter

“Is this matter, to your knowledge, heading to court already or you’re still at a negotiation phase?”

Pablo Cawich

“From my knowledge, we’re still at a negotiation stage.”

Abandoned House Burns Down, Displacing Neighboring Families

Another abandoned building in Belize City has gone up in flames, leaving two families without homes. Just last week, Belize District Station Officer Gladstone Bucknor warned the public about the dangers these abandoned structures pose. He explained that squatters often occupy these buildings and engage in risky activities that can lead to fires. Early Sunday morning, an abandoned building on Hunter’s Lane caught fire, partially destroying a neighboring home. We spoke with Gladstone Bucknor and a resident of Hunter’s Lane to get more details on this incident.

Gladstone Bucknor, Belize District Station Officer, National Fire Service

“Approximately two thirty-five, our fire department received a call about a structural fire. Both stations responded, and three trucks arrived at the scene. When they arrived at the scene, they noticed that they observed that the front structure, a two-story building, was totally engulfed in flames. And spreading to the second building, first floor.”

Reporter

“Abandoned building?”

Gladstone Bucknor

“Yes. The first building appears to be abandoned. However, it’s still under investigation because it seemed that we had some squatters who were actually staying there.”

Reporter

“So like the other abundant place you believe that the persons were staying might have done something to cause the fire?”

Gladstone Bucknor

“As far as our investigation is going. yes. Some type of heat had to be produced at the location where the fire originated from.”

Britney Gordon

“Were any of the surrounding buildings damaged as well?”

Gladstone Bucknor

“Yes. The second structure at number ten Hunter’s Lane received the first floor, completely destroyed and the ground floor, it’s an apartment building divided into two sections two families actually. And the ground floor actually receive a lot of heat and water damages.”

Joan Lightburn, Witness

“The house was abandoned over there. It was right opposite us, the house. And it, as I say we just, I just felt the heat because then, the glaucoma I wasn’t seeing.”

Britney Gordon

“But you felt the intensity, so you think it was a big fire?”

Joan Lightburn

“I is because it burned, look, it burns from there go way down.”

Britney Gordon

“Was your hose damaged any at all to your knowledge?”

Joan Lightburn

“No. No. I thank God that the breeze wasn’t blowing, so it was going that way. That’s why they say the whole of over there burn the first, the house that was right in front of us when you walk and go right over there that the white house, that burn, right down.”